Page 91 of Fragile hearts

“Yeah, cardiac arrest, died in her sleep. I found her.”

“You found her? Alexis, what the fuck happened to you in there? Holy shit. How have you not lost your mind?”

“Because it’s normal for me. I didn’t have lovely parents or three meals a day, but I got used to the abuse and the emotional torment. It was normal for me.”

I pat the bed when Carson is dressed in a pair of boxers and a black shirt. “Now will you please tell me how you’re really doing?” Carson lies next to me, pulling me to him so my head is lying on his chest. He’s quiet for a while. His fingers run through my tangled hair until he whispers, his voice laced with devastation.

“I thought you were dead.”

I trail my fingers over his stomach. His body trembles underneath my touch. “You weren’t answering, and I looked at the camera feed and saw him pointing a gun at you, and I swear to you, Alexis, I have never been so scared in my life.” A tear rolls down his cheek as he pulls me closer. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” I lean up on my elbows, framing his face between my slightly trembling palms. I press my lips against his cheek, kissing away the tear. I hate how he’s feeling right now. If it were him who was held under gunpoint, I would be terrified as well. I can’t imagine losing him. He’s the best thing that happened to me. The thought of him dying shatters my heart.

“I kept calling you in the car, but I would only get your voicemail. I was yelling and screaming for you to pick up, telling myself you couldn’t be dead. And I kept thinking how I hadn’t told you something yet. Something so important, and I thought I would never get the chance.” I lick my dry lips, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

“Tell me what?”

He smiles wetly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “That I love you.”

Holy shit

I can barely hear him over the thundering in my ears.

He loves me. Somebody loves me. “God, Alexis, I love you so much. I can’t stop thinking about you. You belong here in this town, with me. I’ll do anything you want. I swear I’ll be the best boyfriend you’ll ever have. I want to take you with me to my family’s Sunday brunch. I want to sleep in your bed every night that I’m home. I want to buy you flowers so I can see the beautiful smile on your face. I want to see your face light up every time you play with Colton. I want—”

“Carson.”

He stops blabbering, his eyes filled with fear.

“I love you too.”

He deflates. “You do?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

“You love me?”

“Yeah, baby, I love you so fucking much. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I will fight all your battles with you. I’ll punch your bullies. I’ll tell you every day how much you mean to me until you believe it. I will hold you in my arms so you never have nightmares again.”

I wipe away the lone tear that trickles from Carson’s eyes. Kissing him softly, “I never thought I would experience what love is, but you made me believe in it. You made me feel what it’s like to be loved. You gave me your trust, your love, and your family. I had a horrible childhood. I have experienced disturbing things. But you make every bad feeling go away. You make me feel things I have never felt before. Because of you, I know what it’s like to have fun and what it’s like to have a family. So yes, I love you, and I will for the rest of my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. But I want to see with you.”

Tears roll down Carson’s cheeks. His bottom lip trembles. With shaking hands, he frames my face and kisses me deeply. I slide off Carson’s chest, lying on the mattress. He hovers above me, our tongues dueling. He moans in my mouth, his hands sliding over my bare stomach, pushing my sleep shirt over my head. We break apart as I throw the shirt on the ground, then cup his face, bringing his mouth back to mine. “I need you,” I whisper in his mouth. He groans, his hands gripping my waist tighter.

“Baby.” He pulls back a few inches, watching my face for any sign of distress, then strips off his shirt when he doesn’t find any. He kneels, kissing every part of my body that he can reach. I squirm in his hold. He’s touching me everywhere but where I need it the most. “Carson,” I plead. He smirks up at me, pushing my shorts down my legs.

“Patience, baby. Do you have any idea what I want to do to you? Hmm?”

I shake my head, lost for words.

“I have been dreaming about this for so fucking long. I don’t know where to start.” His fingers trail over my bare chest, circling my nipple. He groans when it hardens, wrapping his lips around it, then sucks hard.

“Fuck!” I moan. He groans at my response, breathing heavily, palming my thigh. He moves upwards, sucking hard on my neck. “I want to mark you, so every time I look at it I can remind myself you’re mine.”

“I’m yours, only yours.” My body is shaking with adrenaline. I want him, I need him. His lips trail down my thigh, then he kneels on the floor, opening my legs, groaning appreciatively.

“Fuck, baby.” His eyes are on mine when he grabs me by my ass and pulls me to his mouth. A moan breaks free at the first lick, then more follow as he licks, bites, and twirls my clit. Fuck he’s so good at this.

“I love eating your pussy, baby. I love your taste, how you pull my hair. God, I want to die here.”

“Oh my god.”